Chelsea hoping to hijack Manchester United Kagawa bid

Although it seemed as if the playmaker’s future was all but finalized, it seems the heavily protracted transfer of Shinji Kagawa to Manchester United may not go as smoothly as planned.

It has recently emerged that Chelsea are throwing their hats into the mix and are reportedly looking to hijack any move that United may have hoped for.

Kagawa hit the headlines after it was being reported that he had lifted the lid on his switch to Old Trafford when speaking to a Japanese news outlet in Osaka.

The Borussia Dortmund midfielder has earned heavy plaudits for his work done in earning the German side two consecutive Bundesliga titles as well this season’s DFB Pokal crown.

Kagawa has made 39 starts for the Yellow and Blacks this campaign, netting on 17 occasions as well as providing 14 assists.

The 23 year-old has been quite public with his admiration for the Premier League and has stated on more than one occasion that if he were to leave the German top flight, his preferred destination would be the Premier League.

Following an injury to Tom Cleverley and the illness of Darren Fletcher early in the season, the Red Devils seemed undermanned in the centre of the park at times, leading Sir Alex Ferguson to call Paul Scholes out of retirement.

The move turned out to be a good one but United are still expected to make some moves for playmaking reinforcements this summer and Kagawa seems to be a prime target for the club.

However, things haven’t gone comfortably for Chelsea in the league either and several figures at the club have came out as likely to leave the club.

Florent Malouda, Salomon Kalou and John Obi Mikel have all been heavily linked with departures from Stamford Bridge while Frank Lampard, Michael Essien and Oriol Romeu could also be elsewhere next season.

The Blues will have new signings, Marko Marin and Kevin de Bruyne, in time for the next campaign but the squad rebuilding isn’t expected to stop there.

Should Kagawa make his way to either Premier League giant, his signature would be expected to cost around £15m, well within the reach of either side.